Officer Ellis handed me a cup of coffee. “You’re telling me you didn’t know Mr. Bettencourt was missing and presumed kidnapped?”
“No.”
“You don’t even know who he is, do you?”
“Who is he?”
“Where have you been? It’s been on the news all day.” He lowered himself into a rolling chair. It squeaked, the sound bouncing off the walls in this airless room. High-gloss walls, metal desks, tile floor. Cold, gray, uninviting.
“I’ve been busy. No time for TV.” I held the cup of steaming coffee in both hands and stared down at the dark liquid. No cream. I hoped there was no sugar. He hadn’t asked, but right now I didn’t much care. I took a sip. Scalding and soothing at the same time. “By the way, where is he?”
The moment we’d arrived at the station, two detectives had rushed up to take charge of the elderly man. I hadn’t seen him since.
“On his way home.”
“Good. He said his daughter would be at the station to pick him up.”
Ellis gave a snort. “You really don’t know, do you? Don’t they have televisions in the White House kitchen?”
I didn’t answer.
“Shame what’s going on over there today.”
“What have you heard?”
He blinked at me. “Oh come on. You had to have heard about the murders.”
“Fill me in.”
Ellis knew about the double murder at Lexington Place. Knew the victims were Chief of Staff Cawley and Patty Woodruff. The news had covered most of it. “No leads yet.” He took a deep slurp of his coffee.
I nodded. Clearly the news hadn’t mentioned how the victims were found, nor the fact that they’d died in separate attacks. Most important, the news could not have mentioned my involvement. If they had, Ellis here would have made the connection.
Brad’s comment about me being on the news made my stomach twist with fear. Had he been waiting for me at the Metro platform? Did I just get lucky to stumble upon lost Mr. Bettencourt, who’d helped me escape with my life?
Ellis was still talking and I didn’t interrupt. These musings needed to be shared, but not with local cops. I needed to talk with the Secret Service. Now.
“Maybe it was a murder-suicide.”
“Yeah.” I didn’t feel much like talking, or even listening. Ever since my identification had been verified, I’d been a-okay in these cops’ eyes. Right now I waited while the Secret Service sent an agent to escort me home. Ellis here had evidently drawn the short straw, and was stuck babysitting until then. I glanced at my watch. Could this day get any longer?
“So you’re saying you never saw that guy who called himself Brad before tonight?”
We’d been over this already. “Not until he got on the Metro. He tried to sit by me.”
Ellis scribbled a note. “You think he recognized you as somebody from the White House?”
My head hurt. “He said he did.”
The cop took another slurp of his coffee and smacked his lips. “What made you notice him in the first place? Most people just go about their business. Did you think maybe you’d seen him before?”
How could I explain that by now I was suspicious of everyone? I certainly couldn’t tell him that I was as skittish as a rabbit after the morning’s adventure with Sargeant. I hedged. “Before I got on the train, there was this other man—”
Ellis sat forward. “Boyfriend?”
“No,” I said a bit too sharply. “Listen, I kind of have a history of running into bad guys.”
He sat back. “Not boyfriends?”
I ignored that. “On my way to the Metro, this man in a scarf started acting suspicious.”
“Suspicious how?”
Right now the lost fellow looking for a restaurant seemed perfectly harmless. “Hard to explain, but I got that all-is-not-right feeling from him.”
Ellis finally seemed to understand. “Go on.”
“I was in a hurry to get away. I ran, actually.” Wrinkling my nose, I stared at the gray walls. “The encounter made me jumpy. I started paying close attention to anyone who so much as
“No.”
“You don’t even know who he is, do you?”
“Who is he?”
“Where have you been? It’s been on the news all day.” He lowered himself into a rolling chair. It squeaked, the sound bouncing off the walls in this airless room. High-gloss walls, metal desks, tile floor. Cold, gray, uninviting.
“I’ve been busy. No time for TV.” I held the cup of steaming coffee in both hands and stared down at the dark liquid. No cream. I hoped there was no sugar. He hadn’t asked, but right now I didn’t much care. I took a sip. Scalding and soothing at the same time. “By the way, where is he?”
The moment we’d arrived at the station, two detectives had rushed up to take charge of the elderly man. I hadn’t seen him since.
“On his way home.”
“Good. He said his daughter would be at the station to pick him up.”
Ellis gave a snort. “You really don’t know, do you? Don’t they have televisions in the White House kitchen?”
I didn’t answer.
“Shame what’s going on over there today.”
“What have you heard?”
He blinked at me. “Oh come on. You had to have heard about the murders.”
“Fill me in.”
Ellis knew about the double murder at Lexington Place. Knew the victims were Chief of Staff Cawley and Patty Woodruff. The news had covered most of it. “No leads yet.” He took a deep slurp of his coffee.
I nodded. Clearly the news hadn’t mentioned how the victims were found, nor the fact that they’d died in separate attacks. Most important, the news could not have mentioned my involvement. If they had, Ellis here would have made the connection.
Brad’s comment about me being on the news made my stomach twist with fear. Had he been waiting for me at the Metro platform? Did I just get lucky to stumble upon lost Mr. Bettencourt, who’d helped me escape with my life?
Ellis was still talking and I didn’t interrupt. These musings needed to be shared, but not with local cops. I needed to talk with the Secret Service. Now.
“Maybe it was a murder-suicide.”
“Yeah.” I didn’t feel much like talking, or even listening. Ever since my identification had been verified, I’d been a-okay in these cops’ eyes. Right now I waited while the Secret Service sent an agent to escort me home. Ellis here had evidently drawn the short straw, and was stuck babysitting until then. I glanced at my watch. Could this day get any longer?
“So you’re saying you never saw that guy who called himself Brad before tonight?”
We’d been over this already. “Not until he got on the Metro. He tried to sit by me.”
Ellis scribbled a note. “You think he recognized you as somebody from the White House?”
My head hurt. “He said he did.”
The cop took another slurp of his coffee and smacked his lips. “What made you notice him in the first place? Most people just go about their business. Did you think maybe you’d seen him before?”
How could I explain that by now I was suspicious of everyone? I certainly couldn’t tell him that I was as skittish as a rabbit after the morning’s adventure with Sargeant. I hedged. “Before I got on the train, there was this other man—”
Ellis sat forward. “Boyfriend?”
“No,” I said a bit too sharply. “Listen, I kind of have a history of running into bad guys.”
He sat back. “Not boyfriends?”
I ignored that. “On my way to the Metro, this man in a scarf started acting suspicious.”
“Suspicious how?”
Right now the lost fellow looking for a restaurant seemed perfectly harmless. “Hard to explain, but I got that all-is-not-right feeling from him.”
Ellis finally seemed to understand. “Go on.”
“I was in a hurry to get away. I ran, actually.” Wrinkling my nose, I stared at the gray walls. “The encounter made me jumpy. I started paying close attention to anyone who so much as
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